This whimsical fellow is the work of Oliver Becker, who was inspired by the original legend of storks delivering babies. He decided to add a twist to the story with a character whose beak was curved with the weight of carrying those little bundles of joy. Oliver also came up with a made-up discoverer of the creature: Erasmus Class van der Ailer. While the Curve-Billed Stork is not a real animal (living or extinct) it is indeed based off of real birds. The ibis, a cousin of the stork, is an interesting bird with a curved beak that it uses to probe the ground for food. I like this build because it has a lot of personality and some nifty parts usage. A couple months ago we featured another baby delivery bird which looked a bit like a pelican, but was just as fun! The post A stilted bird with a...

Donny Chen is a musician, piano teacher, and piano tuner. That would explain the epic mastery behind this phenomenal LEGO instrument. I’m a piano player myself, and grew up fascinated with the inner-workings of our own (life-size) grand piano. I must say, this little marvel is basically the complete package! While it doesn’t have all 88 keys that a real grand piano would have, it does have a very similar mechanism. The keys themselves can be removed after pulling pins from each side. The build also features working foot pedals, a soft-close fallboard, a cover that can be propped up, and a sheet music stand. There is even an adjustable bench! Undoubtedly, the best part is that this model is equipped with LEGO Power Functions that allow it to “play” itself. The only thing that would make it better would be to somehow enable it to really produce music. It’s currently...

Some LEGO contests begin with improbable premises, and in the case of Grid Wars, that means building a Star Wars vehicle in the TRON aesthetic. Many builders would struggle, but the theme plays to Shannon Sproule‘s strengths. I’ve followed his work for many years now, long ago falling in love with his ability to capture the complex, often asymmetric beauty, of classic 1970s science fiction illustration. In this case, his take on the Nebulon B escort Frigate results in a bold turquoise splash of abstract brilliance. Tapping into the original design’s unorthodox form, he imposes some dramatic angles and bold colours. Part spaceship, part Kandinsky painting, its an amazing testimony to what science fiction art can be. The post Star Wars meets Tron meets classic 70s sci-fi art in this awesome reinterpretation of the Nebulon B appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: David Alexander Smith

Sweden’s Andreas Lenander latest LEGO creation is a terrifying canoe ride right over the edge of a waterfall. These minifigures certainly appear as though they’re on an adventure they’re not likely to forget. I think what strikes me the most about this diorama is the palpable dynamic energy of the rushing water, free-floating figures, and tipping canoe as the river crests the edge of the cliff. You could argue that there’s nothing particularly innovative about the techniques on display, but what Andreas has achieved here with a few simple, repetitive pieces is really remarkable. It’s a strong exhibit of how purposeful prop placement (the minifigs, canoe, water) over background noise (plants, splashing water, textured rocks) can achieve a visually interesting composition. This was the winning entry in Swebrick‘s head-to-head elimination AFOL-vs-AFOL contest, which for 2018 was based on Adventure. We’ve also featured Andreas here recently for his lifelike cigarette smoking in an ashtray...

There is no doubt that Moko is one of the best and most prolific LEGO mecha builders out there and this week he brings us a unique tentacle monster, which is also a robot! And it transforms! Both forms of the mech manage to look perfect and menacing. Transforming creations often have to make compromises in one or both of their forms, but this one seems like the bricks were just made for it. The rich purple and translucent purple really make for an evil look and the splashes of blue on some tentacles help break it up a little and add a nice contrast. The dome is obviously the centerpiece of the build, but I also really like the grill tiles used on the inside of the tentacles as visible on the humanoid form, as they help to add a flowing look. The post One jellyfish that is not quite...